Method and apparatus for implementation of a wireless power supply

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge storage component, includes a wireless power supply which fits into the enclosure. The apparatus includes an antenna connected to the wireless power supply. A battery. A cell phone cover for a cell phone. A headphone. A wireless power adapter for a DC jack. Alternatively, the apparatus includes a substrate having discrete components and integrated circuits disposed in the device. A method for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge storage component.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to wirelessly powering a device. Morespecifically, the present invention is related to wirelessly powering adevice having an enclosure for a charge storage component where awireless power supply fits into the enclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As processor capabilities have expanded and power requirements havedecreased, there has been an ongoing explosion of devices that operatecompletely independent of wires or power cords. These “untethered”devices range from cell phones and wireless keyboards to buildingsensors and active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags.

Engineers and designers of these untethered devices continue to have todeal with the limitations of portable power sources, primarily usingbatteries as the key design parameter. While the performance ofprocessors and portable devices has been doubling every 18-24 monthsdriven by Moore's law, battery technology in terms of capacity has onlybeen growing at a measly 6% per year. Even with power conscious designsand the latest in battery technology, many devices do not meet thelifetime cost and maintenance requirements for applications that requirea large number of untethered devices such as logistics and buildingautomation. Today's devices that need two-way communication requirescheduled maintenance every three to 18 months to replace or rechargethe device's power source (typically, a battery). One-way devices thatsimply broadcast their status without receiving any signals, such asautomated utility meter readers, have a better battery life typicallyrequiring replacement within 10 years. For both device types, scheduledpower-source maintenance is costly and can be disruptive to the entiresystem that a device is intended to monitor and/or control. Unscheduledmaintenance trips are even more costly and disruptive. On a macro level,the relatively high cost associated with the internal battery alsoreduces the practical, or economically viable, number of devices thatcan be deployed.

The ideal solution to the power problem for untethered devices is adevice or system that can collect and harness sufficient energy from theenvironment. This energy can be harnessed from many different sources,such as sunlight, vibration, heat, or electro-magnetic radiation. Theharnessed energy would then either directly power an untethered deviceor augment a power supply. However, this ideal solution may not alwaysbe practical to implement due to low energy in the environment.Therefore, site restrictions may require the use of a dedicated energysupply. The proposed invention takes these factors into account andprovides a solution for both the ideal situation and also for morerestrictive circumstances.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for wirelessly powering adevice having an enclosure for a charge storage component. The apparatuscomprises a wireless power supply which fits into the enclosure. Theapparatus comprises an antenna connected to the wireless power supply.

The present invention pertains to a battery. The battery comprises anenergy portion. The battery comprises a first connection through whichenergy from the energy portion is distributed. The battery comprises asecond connection for connecting with an RF harvesting antenna.

The present invention pertains to a cell phone cover for a cell phone.The cell phone comprises a wireless power supply for powering the cellphone. The cell phone comprises an antenna connected to the wirelesspower supply.

The present invention pertains to a headphone. The headphone comprises acord. The headphone comprises speakers connected to the cord. Theheadphone comprises a jack connected to the cord. The headphonecomprises a wireless power supply attached to the cord. The headphonecomprises an antenna connected to the wireless power supply.

The present invention pertains to a wireless power adapter for a DCjack. The adapter comprises a wireless power supply. The adaptercomprises an antenna connected to the wireless power supply. The adaptercomprises a connector connected to the wireless power supply thatengages the DC jack.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for wirelessly powering adevice. The apparatus comprises a substrate having discrete componentsand integrated circuits disposed in the device. The apparatus comprisesa wireless power supply connected to the substrate.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for wirelessly powering adevice. The apparatus comprises a wireless power supply which isdisposed external to the device and is in electrical communication withthe device to provide power to the device. The apparatus comprises anantenna connected with the wireless power supply.

The present invention pertains to a method for wirelessly powering adevice having an enclosure for a charge storage component. The methodcomprises the steps of fitting into the enclosure a wireless powersupply. There is the step of receiving energy wirelessly through anantenna connected to the wireless power supply.

The present invention pertains to a method for wirelessly powering adevice. The method comprises the steps of electrically connecting awireless power supply to the device. There is the step of receivingenergy wirelessly through an antenna connected to the wireless powersupply. There is the step of powering the device with the receivedenergy.

The present invention pertains to a method for providing energy to acell phone. The method comprises the steps of powering the cell phonewith a wireless power supply. There is the step of receiving energywirelessly through an antenna connected to the wireless power supply.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for wirelessly powering adevice having an enclosure for a charge storage component. The apparatuscomprises means for supplying power wirelessly which fits into theenclosure. The apparatus includes an antenna connected to the supplyingmeans.

The present invention pertains to a wireless power supply having aconnection for electrically connecting the wireless power supply to adevice to be powered. The wireless power supply is configured to receiveenergy wirelessly. The wireless power supply looks like and has aconfiguration of at least one battery.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for wirelessly powering adevice having an enclosure for a charge-storage component from energyreceived from a remote wireless power transmitter. The apparatuscomprises a wireless power supply which fits into the enclosure. Theapparatus comprises an antenna connected to the wireless power supplyand remote from the power transmitter.

The present invention pertains to a method for wirelessly powering adevice having an enclosure for a charge-storage component. The methodcomprises the steps of transmitting energy from a wireless powertransmitter. There is the step of receiving the energy at a wirelesspower supply which fits into the enclosure through an antenna connectedto the wireless power supply of the device when the device is remotefrom the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receivingpower from the power transmitter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the inventionand preferred methods of practicing the invention are illustrated inwhich:

FIG. 1 a shows battery pack schematics for the wireless sensor.

FIG. 1 b shows an illustration of the wireless sensor battery pack.

FIG. 2 a shows a schematic of the battery pack with a WPS.

FIG. 2 b shows an illustration of a WPS replacing two batteries in abattery pack.

FIG. 3 shows a WPS manufactured to resemble a AA battery with aninternal antenna.

FIG. 4 shows a WPS manufactured to resemble a AA battery with anexternal antenna.

FIG. 5 shows a WPS manufactured to resemble a AA battery, containingbattery chemicals and an internal antenna.

FIG. 6 shows a WPS manufactured to resemble a AA battery, containingbattery chemicals and an external antenna.

FIG. 7 shows a WPS in a battery using the case as an RF harvestingantenna.

FIG. 8 shows a WPS in a battery using the case as an RF harvestingantenna with an insulating portion in order to form a dipole antenna.

FIG. 9 shows a WPS in a battery using the case as an RF harvestingantenna with RF isolation using a Low Pass Filter.

FIG. 10 shows a WPS in a battery with an RF harvesting antenna formed onthe outside of the battery case.

FIG. 11 shows a WPS in a battery with an RF harvesting antenna formed onthe outside of the battery case with a dielectric in between.

FIG. 12 shows a WPS in a battery with an RF harvesting antenna recessedinto the outside of the battery case.

FIG. 13 shows a WPS in a battery with an RF harvesting antenna formed onthe outside of the battery case.

FIG. 14 shows a WPS in a battery with an external RF harvesting antennaconnected to specialized terminals.

FIG. 15 shows a WPS in a battery with an external RF harvesting antennaconnected through a connector.

FIG. 16 shows a metallic battery case used as the ground plane for apatch antenna with a coaxial feed and an internal WPS.

FIG. 17 shows a WPS external to a battery using the battery case as theantenna.

FIG. 18 shows a WPS using two floating AA battery cases as a dipoleantenna.

FIG. 19 shows a WPS battery recharging unit with AA batteries locatedwithin the antenna structure.

FIG. 20 shows a cellular phone being recharged by an external WPS and RFharvesting antenna connected through the cellular phone batteryrecharging receptacle.

FIG. 21 shows a WPS and RF harvesting antenna attached to the headphonecord of an IPOD supplying recharging power to the IPOD.

FIG. 22 a shows the typical construction of a sleeve dipole.

FIG. 22 b shows a sleeve dipole with an integrated WPS.

FIG. 23 shows an in-line coaxial WPS connected to a sleeve dipoleantenna.

FIG. 24 shows a WPS implemented as a module formed on a PCB.

FIG. 25 shows a WPS and RF power harvesting antenna formed inside abattery pack.

FIG. 26 is block diagram of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer tosimilar or identical parts throughout the several views, and morespecifically to FIG. 26 thereof, there is shown an apparatus 10 forwirelessly powering a device 12 having an enclosure 14 for a chargestorage component 50. The apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises awireless power supply 16 which fits into the enclosure 14. The apparatus10 comprises an antenna 18 connected to the wireless power supply 16.

The present invention pertains to a battery 20, as shown in FIG. 14. Thebattery 20 comprises an energy portion 28. The battery 20 comprises afirst connection 32 through which energy from the energy portion 28 isdistributed. The battery 20 comprises a second connection 34 forconnecting with an RF harvesting antenna 18.

The present invention pertains to a cell phone cover 54 for a cellphone, as shown in FIG. 20. The cell phone comprises a wireless powersupply 16 for powering the cell phone. The cell phone comprises anantenna 18 connected to the wireless power supply 16.

The present invention pertains to a headphone 56, as shown in FIG. 21.The headphone 56 comprises a cord. The headphone 56 comprises speakersconnected to the cord. The headphone 56 comprises a jack connected tothe cord. The headphone 56 comprises a wireless power supply 16 attachedto the cord. The headphone 56 comprises an antenna 18 connected to thewireless power supply 16.

The present invention pertains to a wireless power adapter 38 for a DCjack, as shown in FIG. 22 b. The adapter 38 comprises a wireless powersupply 16. The adapter 38 comprises an antenna 18 connected to thewireless power supply 16. The adapter 38 comprises a connector 36connected to the wireless power supply 16 that engages the DC jack.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus 10 for wirelesslypowering a device 12, as shown in FIG. 24. The apparatus 10 comprises asubstrate 40 having discrete components 42 and integrated circuits 44disposed in the device 12. The apparatus 10 comprises a wireless powersupply 16 connected to the substrate 40.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus 10 for wirelesslypowering a device 12, as shown in FIG. 4. The apparatus 10 comprises awireless power supply 16 which is disposed external to the device 12 andis in electrical communication with the device 12 to provide power tothe device 12. The apparatus 10 comprises an antenna 18 connected withthe wireless power supply 16.

The present invention pertains to a method for wirelessly powering adevice 12 having an enclosure 14 for a charge storage component 50. Themethod comprises the steps of fitting into the enclosure 14 a wirelesspower supply 16. There is the step of receiving energy wirelesslythrough an antenna 18 connected to the wireless power supply 16.

The present invention pertains to a method for wirelessly powering adevice 12. The method comprises the steps of electrically connecting awireless power supply 16 to the device 12. There is the step ofreceiving energy wirelessly through an antenna 18 connected to thewireless power supply 16. There is the step of powering the device 12with the received energy.

The present invention pertains to a method for providing energy to acell phone. The method comprises the steps of powering the cell phonewith a wireless power supply 16. There is the step of receiving energywirelessly through an antenna 18 connected to the wireless power supply16.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus 10 for wirelesslypowering a device 12 having an enclosure 14 for a charge storagecomponent 50. The apparatus 10 comprises means for supplying powerwirelessly which fits into the enclosure 14. The apparatus 10 includesan antenna 18 connected to the supplying means.

The present invention pertains to a wireless power supply 16 having aconnection 64 for electrically connecting the wireless power supply 16to a device 12 to be powered, as shown in FIG. 3. The wireless powersupply 16 is configured to receive energy wirelessly. The wireless powersupply 16 looks like and has a configuration of at least one battery 20.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus 10 for wirelesslypowering a device 12 having an enclosure 14 for a charge-storagecomponent from energy received from a remote wireless power transmitter,as shown in FIG. 2. The apparatus 10 comprises a wireless power supply16 which fits into the enclosure 14. The apparatus 10 comprises anantenna 18 connected to the wireless power supply 16 and remote from thepower transmitter.

Preferably, the device 12 is at least a space of one inch from the powertransmitter when the wireless power supply 16 is receiving power fromthe power transmitter; although the device 12 can be at least threeinches, or at least seven inches, or at least twelve inches or even atleast twenty inches from the power transmitter when the wireless powersupply 16 is receiving power from the power transmitter.

The present invention pertains to a method for wirelessly powering adevice 12 having an enclosure 14 for a charge-storage component. Themethod comprises the steps of transmitting energy from a wireless powertransmitter. There is the step of receiving the energy at a wirelesspower supply 16 which fits into the enclosure 14 through an antenna 18connected to the wireless power supply 16 of the device 12 when thedevice 12 is remote from the power transmitter when the wireless powersupply 16 is receiving power from the power transmitter. Preferably, thereceiving step includes the step of receiving the energy at the wirelesspower supply 16 when the device 12 is at least a space of one inch fromthe power transmitter when the wireless power supply 16 is receivingpower from the power transmitter; although the device 12 can be at leastthree inches, or at least seven inches, or at least twelve inches oreven at least twenty inches from the power transmitter when the wirelesspower supply 16 is receiving power from the power transmitter.

In the operation of the invention, the design of a wireless power supply16 has been described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,311, “Method andApparatus for a Wireless Power Supply,” U.S. provisional applicationSer. No. 11/447,412, “Powering Devices using RF Energy Harvesting,” andU.S. provisional application 60/729,792, “Method and Apparatus for HighEfficiency Rectification for Various Loads,” all incorporated byreference herein. The referenced patents give great detail on how awireless power supply or RF energy harvester can be designed andconstructed for various applications, such as supplying operationalpower to a multitude of devices that are either wireless, such as, butnot limited to, cellular phones, or have wires for communication orpower or both, such as, but not limited to, industrial sensors. It,however, also becomes advantageous, and the focus of the invention, todescribe how the wireless power supply (WPS) or RF energy harvester isintegrated or implemented with both new and existing devices. It shouldbe noted that the term wireless power supply or WPS may be used todescribe the circuitry for RF energy harvesting or the circuitry for RFenergy harvesting used in conjunction with an RF harvesting antenna 18.The WPS may be used to harvest RF energy and convert the RF energy intoa usable form such as, but not limited to, Direct Current (DC) power.

The present invention may be used with a pulsing RF or other energytransmitter, for example, as described in U.S. provisional application60/656,165 and Ser. No. 11/356,892, both entitled “Pulsing TransmissionMethod”, incorporated herein by reference.

For devices containing a charge storage component 50, such as, but notlimited to, a battery 20, it is possible to implement or integrate awireless power supply 16 in numerous ways. The WPS may be designed tofit into the enclosure 14, compartment, or space used to hold thebattery 20, batteries, or charge storage component(s) 50. This mayinclude any battery 20 or charge storage component 50 size and/or shapeincluding, but not limited to, the batteries described in ANSI C18.1M,Part 1-2001, incorporated by reference herein. The WPS may completelyreplace the battery 20, battery pack 30, or charge storage component 50in direct powering applications or may replace one or more batteries 20or charge storage components 50 in battery 20 and charge storagecomponent 50 recharging. As an example, a wireless temperature andhumidity sensor was retrofitted with a WPS in order to obtain a longerbattery 20 life due to battery 20 recharging by the WPS and antenna 18capturing and converting RF energy. The wireless sensor contained a3-volt battery 20 pack 30 that was constructed using four AAA alkalinebatteries, whose schematic and drawing is shown in FIG. 1 a and FIG. 1b, respectively. The WPS was retrofitted into the wireless sensor byreplacing two of the batteries with a WPS or energy harvester. The WPSprinted circuit board 62 (PCB) had dimensions of 0.83 by 1.84 inches andwas designed to fit into the space left by the two removed batteries.The RF harvesting antenna 18 was connected to the WPS PCB using anend-launch SMA connector 36 that exited the wireless sensor enclosure 14allowing the RF harvesting antenna 18 to be external to the wirelesssensor. A schematic of the WPS used with two AAA batteries can be seenin FIG. 2 a. FIG. 2 b illustrates how the WPS was configured in order toreplace two of the AAA batteries and keep the same size and/ordimensions as the original battery 20 pack 30 of the wireless sensorwhen used with two AAA batteries. It should be noted that the WPS may beplaced in series or parallel to a battery 20 or batteries if found to beadvantageous for the application.

In a similar embodiment to that previously described (replacing one orall of the batteries), the WPS may be manufactured in such a way that itresembles or takes the size and shape of any battery type or combinationof batteries, such as, but not limited to, those described in ANSIC18.1M, Part 1-2001 or custom sized batteries. As an example, the WPSmay be designed with a size and shape allowing it to fit into the caseor shell of a standard AA battery 20, as shown in FIG. 3. In this case,there would be no need for battery 20 chemicals and the WPS in the shapeof a battery 20 may contain a WPS circuit, PCB, charge storage component50, and/or an RF harvesting antenna 18. The antenna 18 may also beexternal to the WPS if found to be advantageous. A charge storagecomponent 50 includes, but is not limited to, a capacitor,super-capacitor, or any other component capable of storing charge.

As previously described, the WPS may replace one or all of the batteriesin the device 12, whether in the form of a battery 20 or not. If allbatteries are replaced, the WPS provides direct power to the device 12,while, if only one or some batteries in the device 12 are replaced, theWPS may provide current for recharging or augmenting the remainingbatteries, therefore eliminating the need for the batteries to beremoved for replacement or for recharging, or have the device 12 pluggedinto a power grid to recharge the batteries. It should be noted thatthis embodiment will work with rechargeable and non-rechargeablebatteries. For non-rechargeable batteries, a protection circuit must beadded to insure that no charging current is supplied to thenon-rechargeable batteries meaning any energy supplied by the WPS isused to directly power the device 12. As an example, consider a wirelesssensor powered by two non-rechargeable AA batteries. Two WPSsmanufactured to resemble AA batteries may replace both non-rechargeablebatteries. However, if only one WPS manufactured to resemble a AAbattery is desired, the other non-rechargeable would have to be replacedwith a rechargeable AA or be protected or configured (in series) toensure that the non-rechargeable battery was not charged by the WPS. Therechargeable battery chemistries used with the invention may be, but arenot limited to, Nickel-Metal Hydrid (NiMH), Nickel Cadmium (NiCd),Lithium Ion, Lithium Polymer, Rechargeable Alkaline, Lead Acid, LithiumThin Film, or any other type of rechargeable battery chemistry 25.

The RF power receiving antenna 18 may be located internally, as shown inFIG. 3, or externally, as shown in FIG. 4, to the battery 20 or battery20 sized component.

Another embodiment of the WPS that is very similar to what was describedpreviously and shown in FIG. 3 is to include the WPS in the packaging ofa standard sized or custom sized rechargeable battery 20 while keepingthe battery 20 functionality. This rechargeable battery chemistry 25, orthe energy portion 28 of the battery 20, may be, but is not limited to,NiMH, NiCd, Lithium Ion, Lithium Polymer, Rechargeable Alkaline, LeadAcid, Lithium Thin Film or any other type of rechargeable batterychemistry 25. This would require displacing some of the chemicals in thebattery 20 to make space for the WPS, PCB and/or possibly the RFharvesting antenna 18. This embodiment can be seen in FIG. 5. Thebattery 20 would function normally, but would have a slightly smallercapacity of charge because of the removal of some chemicals. The WPSmay, in this case, recharge or augment the battery 20 chemicals that arepresent in the case with the WPS, while the battery 20 chemicals in thecase may supply operational power for the device 12 being retrofittedwith the WPS. This is a more attractive embodiment than that shown inFIG. 3 for devices that have a chance of not being in an RF power field,such as, but not limited to, cellular phones, PDAs or any other mobilebattery 20 powered device. In the previous case, a WPS that resembles abattery 20 but does not have battery 20 functionality, the device 12using only the WPS for power would not function if the WPS was notreceiving power from an RF power transmitter or RF power network. But,for the case shown in FIG. 5, and in the previous case where only one orsome batteries of the device 12 are replaced, the WPS-battery 20combination still has the ability to provide operational power to thedevice 12 while not in an RF power field. As an example, it is desiredto retrofit a cellular phone with a WPS that replaces the battery 20.Most cellular phones have only one battery 20 pack 30 that can bemodified. For this example, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 may not bethe best choice because the cellular phone would only work when in an RFpower field or while there is charge stored within a charge storagecomponent 50, such as a capacitor, from a time period in an RF powerfield. Because cellular phones are made to go anywhere, even where theremay not be an RF power field, the best choice for retrofitting thiscellular phone is to include the rechargeable battery chemistry 25 inwith the WPS to provide operational power to the cellular phone when notin an RF power field.

As was the case with the previous embodiment, the RF power receivingantenna 18 may be located internally, as shown in FIG. 5, or externally,as shown in FIG. 6, to the battery 20 or battery 20 sized componentcontaining battery 20 chemicals.

For an internal RF harvesting antenna 18, the antenna 18 may be formedinside the battery casing 26 as long as the case is composed of amaterial that has very low or no attenuation to the RF field at thefrequency or frequencies of interest, such as, but not limited to,plastic. For a non-attenuating case, the antenna 18 may be formed aspart of the case. As an example, the case may be made of a plasticmaterial with a metal dipole disposed within the plastic. For a casethat is composed of a material that is attenuating, such as metal, itmay also be possible to resonate the metallic case of the battery 20 inorder to form the RF harvesting antenna 18. Resonating the case can bedone whether or not the case of the battery 20 is electrically connectedto one of the battery 20 terminals. For the situation where the case isfloating, or not electrically connected to a battery 20 terminal, theWPS may be connected to a metallic, or other suitable antenna 18material, case through an impedance matching network in order toimpedance match the metallic case to the WPS. Additionally, the point ofcontact between the WPS and/or impedance matching circuit and the casemay be used to aid in impedance matching and also to help shape and/orimprove the radiation characteristics of the battery case 22 RFharvesting antenna 18. An example of this can be seen in FIG. 7, wherethe antenna 18 is formed as a hollow cylinder and wraps around the WPSand/or battery chemistry 25 as the case. It may be necessary, for any ofthe embodiments, to divide the battery case 22 into two or moreelectrically insulated or isolated portions in order to resonate thebattery case 22. As an example, the battery case 22 may be formed as adipole antenna 18 by placing an insulating material or dielectricbetween the two portions of the dipole (antenna 18 formed as hollowcylinders), as shown in FIG. 8. This example shown in FIG. 8 has twoantenna 18 feed lines due to the balanced nature of a dipole antenna 18.The number of feed points will be dependent on the type of antenna 18used with the WPS.

It should be noted that any of the embodiments herein may be formed as aWPS or as a WPS including battery chemistry 25, whether shown in theillustrative figures or not.

Additionally, a WPS may contain or have external impedance matching toinsure maximum power transfer from the antenna 18 to the WPS. A WPS maybe designed to match the antenna 18, or vice versa, without the need forimpedance matching. The resulting WPS and antenna 18 system, therefore,may or may not have a standard impedance such as 50 ohms.

For the situation where the battery case 22 is electrically connected toone of the battery 20 terminals, isolation may need to be added to theelectrically connected battery 20 terminal to insure that RF noise isnot injected into the device 12 receiving power from the WPS and/orbattery 20 and to insure that the device 12 does not load the batterycase 22 RF harvesting antenna 18 and cause the characteristics of theantenna 18, such as impedance, to change. The isolation may be a simplelow pass filter (LPF), which would allow the DC energy from the battery20 to flow to the device 12 while blocking the RF energy. An example ofthis can be seen in FIG. 9. It should be noted that the LPF may belocated internal or external to the battery 20 depending on theapplication.

For an external RF harvesting antenna 18, the antenna 18 may be formedon the battery 20 or away from the battery 20. The RF harvesting antenna18 may be formed on the outside of a non-attenuating case as shown inFIG. 10 or may be formed on a metallic or attenuating case by placing adielectric between the metallic or attenuating case and the antenna 18,as shown in FIG. 11. A metallic case may act as a reflector or groundplane to help increase the gain of the antenna 18. For a metallic case,it is also possible to include a recess in which the antenna 18 can beformed while insuring a flush surface, as seen in FIG. 12. The recessmay be confined to one side of the case or may include the entirebattery 20 cylinder. Additionally, the metallic case may have anelectrically isolated or insulated region where the antenna 18 may beformed. In certain applications, it may be possible to form the antenna18 using a battery 20 label, which may be partially or completelymetallic such as a foil. An example of this can be seen in FIG. 13.

It may be beneficial in certain applications to have the antenna 18located away from the battery 20 or charge storage component 50. Inthese situations, the antenna 18 may connect to specialized terminalslocated on the battery 20. As an example, the body of the battery 20 maycontain two metallic pads 48 or rings around the outside of the battery20, as shown in FIG. 14, where the antenna 18 or transmission line 60may connect using spring-loaded contacts. It may also be possible toinclude a connector 36, jack, plug, or adaptor depending on the size andshape of the battery 20 and battery enclosure 14, as shown in FIG. 15.

It may be advantageous in certain applications to use the case of thebattery 20 as part of the antenna 18. As an example, a metallic (orother conducting material) battery case 22 may be used as a ground planefor a patch antenna 18. The patch may be formed above the metallic (orother conducting material) battery case 22 and separated by anon-conductive material. The WPS may be located internally or externallyto the battery 20 and may feed the patch antenna 18 with a coax,microstrip, or any other feed technique. An example of a coaxial fedpatch antenna 18 using the metallic battery case 22 as the ground planecan be seen in FIG. 16. It should be noted that the battery case 22 maybe floating or connected to one of the battery 20 terminals.

It should be noted that the antenna 18 configurations described hereinmay be implemented with any type and number of antennas. As an example,a WPS may be connected to more than one RF harvesting antenna 18 whereeach antenna 18 may be, but is not limited to, a dipole, monopole,patch, microstrip, or any other antenna 18 type or configuration. It mayalso be advantageous in certain applications to have multiple WPS whichmay be connected to one or more antennas.

In the previous embodiments, the WPS was integrated into a battery 20 orbattery 20 sized enclosure 14 while the antenna was either internal orexternal. It may be advantageous in certain applications to have the WPSexternal to the battery 20 or battery 20 sized enclosure 14 while theantenna may be internal or external to the enclosure 14. As an example,the WPS may be formed on the case of the battery 20 while the antennamay be externally connected or formed as part of the battery case 22 aspreviously described. An example of an external WPS using the batterycase 22 as the antenna 18 can be seen in FIG. 17.

In certain applications, multiple battery cases 22 may be used to formthe antenna 18 for a WPS. As an example, two AA batteries with floatingcases may be used to form a dipole antenna 18, as shown in FIG. 18. Itmay be necessary depending on the frequency or frequencies of the RFpower to be harvested to include an impedance matching network to matchthe dipole antenna 18 to the WPS.

In the previous embodiment, multiple battery cases 22 were used to formthe RF harvesting antenna 18. It may not always be advantageous to usethe battery cases 22 to form the antenna 18 due to the power connectionsto the battery 20 which may cause undesirable effects to the radiationcharacteristics of the antenna 18. Therefore, the RF power harvestingantenna 18 may be formed around the battery 20 or batteries to enablewired connections that do not affect the radiation characteristics ofthe antenna 18. As an example, two hollow cylinders made of electricallyconducting material such as, but not limited to, metal, each containinga AA battery 20, may be used to form a dipole antenna 18. The WPS may bemounted in between the two hollow cylinders with electrical connectionsto both. Additionally, wires from the WPS may pass inside the cylinderto the ends of the batteries in order to make electrical connection forbattery 20 recharging. The wires have no effect on the radiationcharacteristics of the antenna 18 because they are located inside thecylinders and the RF currents are all present on the surface of thecylinder due to the skin effect. Additionally, isolation may be added ateach end of the antenna 18 structure to isolate the power terminals ofthe WPS battery 20 recharging unit from the RF power harvesting antenna18 structure. An example of the WPS battery 20 recharging unit can beseen in FIG. 19.

In certain applications, it may not be advantageous to retrofit orredesign a product to contain a WPS and/or RF harvesting antenna 18.Therefore, the WPS and RF harvesting antenna 18 may be designed to beexternal to the device 12 and the output of the WPS may connect to thedevice 12 through a connector 36, jack, plug, or adaptor in order forthe energy captured by the WPS to be transferred to the device 12 fordirect powering applications or to the rechargeable battery 20 or chargestorage component 50 in battery 20 recharging or augmentingapplications. The WPS may be designed in a manner to connect to anexisting port, connector 36, jack, plug or adaptor that was designed forconnection of a recharging apparatus 52 obtaining its power from meansother than RF power harvesting such as, but not limited to, the AC powergrid or DC power in an automobile. As an example, a cellular phone maybe recharged with a WPS and RF harvesting antenna 18 using the battery20 recharging receptacle built into the phone for battery 20 rechargingby wired connection to a wall or car outlet. The WPS may be assembled ona PCB with an integrated antenna 18, as shown in FIG. 20. It is alsopossible to include either the WPS or RF harvesting antenna 18 insidethe device 12 while the other is located externally to the device 12 andconnected to the device 12 through a connector 36, jack, plug, oradaptor. As an example, the WPS may be small enough to fit into acellular phone. However, the antenna 18 may be too large or may havebetter RF power harvesting characteristics when located outside thecellular phone. Therefore, the WPS may be placed inside the cellularphone while the RF power harvesting antenna 18 is located external tothe cellular phone. The external RF power harvesting antenna 18 may beconnected using an existing or specialized connector 36.

It may be advantageous in certain applications to build the WPS and RFpower harvesting antenna 18 into or onto an existing accessory orexternal component of a device such as, but not limited to, protectivecovers, protective cases, belt clips, holsters, holders, faceplates,docking stations, necklace holders, armband holders, headphones,carrying cases, or any other device accessory. As an example, cellularphones are frequently protected with a leather case to avoid damage andscratches to the phone. The WPS and RF harvesting antenna 18 may bedesigned into the cellular phone cover 54 where the cover is made toplug into the battery 20 recharging receptacle built into the phone andconnect to the output of the WPS in order to recharge the cellular phonebattery 20. The cellular phone cover 54 may also have the ability toaccept or pass through a connection from a standard recharging apparatus52 with a wired connection to a wall or car outlet. As another example,an iPOD or other music device may be recharged in a similar manner asthe cellular phone. However, in the case of the iPOD, the WPS and RFharvesting antenna 18 may be located away from the device 12 andattached to the cord of the headphones 56. The output of the WPS may besupplied to the iPOD by a cord, which may attach to the IPOD rechargingreceptacle through a connector 36, jack, plug, or adaptor as is shown inFIG. 21. It is also possible to integrate the WPS and antenna 18 intothe existing headphone 56 cord to eliminate the second wire andconnector 36 required.

In certain applications, it may be beneficial to have the WPS integratedinto the antenna 18 or antenna 18 structure. Therefore, the output ofthe antenna 18 would not be RF power, but rather a form of power usableby the device 12, such as, but not limited to, DC power. The integrationof the WPS into the antenna 18 eliminates source of loss caused byconnectors 36 and lengths of transmission line 60. The resulting WPS andRF harvesting antenna 18 may therefore have a higher efficiency. As anexample, a sleeve dipole is an unbalanced antenna 18 designed for directconnection to coaxial cable. The two axial elements of the dipole meetin the center of the dipole and the two conductors exit to the end ofthe dipole through the lower axial element, which is formed as a hollowcylinder. A typical sleeve dipole can be seen in FIG. 22 a. As FIG. 22 bshows, a WPS may be integrated into the antenna 18 and the DC powerpassed to the bottom of the dipole by two conductors connected to a DCconnector 36, jack, plug, or adaptor.

It may also be advantageous in certain applications to have the WPSimplemented as a coaxial (or other transmission line 60) in-lineapparatus 58. The output of the antenna 18 may connect to the WPS andthe WPS passes the DC power to the device 12 connected to the WPS by aconnector 36, jack, plug, or adaptor. As an example, a sleeve dipolewith an SMA connector 36 may be connected to an opposite gender SMAconnector 36 on a WPS. The WPS would accept the RF power provided by theRF harvesting antenna 18 and the WPS would output the DC power to thedevice 12 connected by a connector 36, jack, plug, or adaptor in orderto directly power the device 12 or to recharge the device's 12 chargestorage component 50. An example of an in-line coaxial WPS can be seenin FIG. 23.

The WPS can be formed in numerous ways. For new designs, the WPS may beintegrated onto an existing or newly designed PCB with an integrated orexternal antenna 18 for harvesting the RF energy. The WPS may be in theform of discrete components 42 and/or an integrated circuit. In the caseof an integrated circuit, it may be necessary to use one or moreexternal components in order to minimize the loss to the conversionefficiency of the WPS caused by parasitic elements inherent to anintegrated circuit such as, but not limited to, finite resistance ofconductors, semiconductors, and metal-semiconductor junctions, lowquality factor inductors, capacitance to the substrate 40, capacitanceto other components, and other parasitic elements.

The WPS may also be implemented as a PCB (or other substrate 40)containing discrete components 42 and integrated circuits 44. The PCBmay contain thru-hole pins or surface mount pads 48 for connection toanother PCB or substrate 40. As an example, the WPS shown in U.S.provisional application 60/729,792, “Method and Apparatus for HighEfficiency Rectification for Various Loads,” was implemented as a modulewith four surface mount pads. The RF input pad was connected to theantenna 18, the output pad was connected to the device 12 for directpowering and to the battery 20 or charge storage component 50 forrecharging applications, and the other two pads were connected toground. The module was designed to be soldered onto another PCB toinsure a proper layout and ease of use by the user. FIG. 24 shows thedimensions of the WPS module.

The WPS may be implemented as or in a battery 20 pack 30 when found tobe advantageous. As an example, the WPS and RF power harvesting antenna18 may be formed within or on the external packaging of the battery 20or batteries while remaining outside the battery casing 26. As aspecific example, a cellular phone battery is typically incased in aplastic case in order to provide protection, give support, and offer anaesthetically pleasing size and shape. The battery and possibly thebattery recharging or protection circuitry are formed within the plasticcase. The WPS and RF power harvesting antenna 18 may also be formedwithin the plastic case making it part of the battery pack 30. Incertain applications, it may be beneficial to form the RF powerharvesting antenna 18 as an external component or form the RF powerharvesting antenna 18 on the outside of the plastic, or other material,case used to incase the battery 20. An example of a WPS incased with abattery 20 or batteries is shown in FIG. 25.

The invention should not be confused with power transfer by inductivecoupling, which requires the device 12 to be relatively close to thepower transmission source. The RFID Handbook by the author KlausFinkenzeller defines the inductive coupling region as distance betweenthe transmitter and receiver of less than 0.16 times lambda where lambdais the wavelength of the RF wave. The invention can be implemented inthe near-field (sometimes referred to as inductive) region as well asthe far-field region. The far-field region is distances greater than0.16 times lambda.

In any embodiment of the present invention, the RF power transmitted maybe limited to include power only, that is, data is not present in thesignal. If data is required by the application, the data is, preferably,transmitted in a separate band and/or has a separate receiver.

Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoingembodiments for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood thatsuch detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be madetherein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention except as it may be described by thefollowing claims.

1. An apparatus, for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge storage component, comprising: a wireless power supply which fits into the enclosure; and an antenna connected to the wireless power supply.
 2. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the antenna is at least part of a battery disposed in the enclosure.
 3. An apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein the antenna is at least part of a battery case of the battery.
 4. An apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein at least a portion of the battery case forms a ground plane for the antenna.
 5. An apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein the antenna is a patch antenna.
 6. An apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein the antenna is at least part of more than one battery disposed in the enclosure.
 7. An apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein the antenna is external with respect to the at least part of the battery case.
 8. An apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein the wireless power supply is disposed external to the battery.
 9. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the antenna is a housing connected to a battery disposed in the enclosure.
 10. An apparatus as described in claim 1 including a casing for the apparatus and wherein the antenna is at least a part of the casing.
 11. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless power supply looks like and has a configuration of a battery.
 12. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein the antenna is internal with respect to the wireless power supply.
 13. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein the antenna is external with respect to the wireless power supply.
 14. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein the antenna is integral with a housing of the wireless power supply.
 15. An apparatus as described in claim 1 including a battery, with the wireless power supply embedded in the battery.
 16. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless power supply is disposed in the antenna.
 17. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless power supply contains battery chemicals.
 18. An apparatus as described in claim 17 wherein the antenna is internal with respect to the wireless power supply.
 19. An apparatus as described in claim 18 wherein the antenna is external with respect to the wireless power supply.
 20. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the antenna connects to connections of a battery disposed in the enclosure.
 21. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless power supply replaces one or more batteries of the device.
 22. An apparatus as described in claim 21 wherein the wireless power supply replaces one or more batteries within a battery pack disposed in the enclosure.
 23. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless power supply is connected in parallel with at least one battery of the device.
 24. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the wireless power supply is connected in series with at least one battery of the device.
 25. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is positioned within the device.
 26. A battery comprising: an energy portion; a wireless power supply; and a first connection through which energy from the energy portion and the wireless power supply is distributed.
 27. A battery as described in claim 26, further including a second connection for connecting with an RF harvesting antenna.
 28. A battery as described in claim 26, further including an antenna.
 29. A battery as described in claim 28, further including a battery case, wherein the antenna is external to the battery case.
 30. A battery as described in claim 28, further including a battery case, wherein the antenna is internal to the battery case.
 31. A battery as described in claim 28, further including a battery case, wherein the antenna is integral to the battery case.
 32. A wireless power adapter for a DC power connection comprising: a wireless power supply; an antenna connected to the wireless power supply; and a connector connected to the wireless power supply that engages the DC power connection.
 33. A wireless power adapter as described in claim 32, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to fit within a device to be powered.
 34. A wireless power supply for wirelessly powering a device comprising: a substrate; and discrete components and integrated circuits connected to the substrate, wherein the wireless power supply is electrically connected to the device.
 35. A wireless power supply as described in claim 34, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to be disposed on a second substrate.
 36. A wireless power supply as described in claim 35, wherein the second substrate is part of the device.
 37. A wireless power supply as described in claim 34 further including surface mount pads.
 38. A wireless power supply as described in claim 34, further including thru-hole pins.
 39. A wireless power supply as described in claim 34, wherein the wireless power supply is connected in parallel with one or more batteries of the device.
 40. A wireless power supply as described in claim 34, wherein the wireless power supply is connected in series with one or more batteries of the device.
 41. A wireless power supply as described in claim 34, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to become part of a battery pack.
 42. An apparatus for wirelessly powering a device comprising: a wireless power supply which is disposed external to the device and is in electrical communication with the device to provide power to the device; and an antenna connected with the wireless power supply.
 43. An apparatus as described in claim 42 wherein the device has a connector to receive energy, and the wireless power supply is in electrical communication with the connector to provide power to the device.
 44. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply directly powers the device.
 45. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply charges charge storage components of the device.
 46. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply augments charge storage components of the device.
 47. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to mate with the connector of the device.
 48. An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein the connector is configured to receive a recharging apparatus.
 49. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to be incorporated into a device accessory.
 50. An apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the device accessory is a cell phone cover.
 51. An apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the device accessory is a headphone.
 52. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to be incorporated into the antenna.
 53. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to be incorporated as an in-line apparatus of a transmission line.
 54. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to be incorporated into a printed circuit board of the device.
 55. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the device includes an enclosure, wherein the wireless power supply is supported by the enclosure.
 56. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the wireless power supply is disposed within the antenna.
 57. A method for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge storage component, comprising the steps of: fitting into the enclosure a wireless power supply; and receiving energy wirelessly through an antenna connected to the wireless power supply.
 58. A method for wirelessly powering a device, comprising the steps of: electrically connecting a wireless power supply to the device; receiving energy wirelessly through an antenna connected to the wireless power supply; and powering the device with the received energy.
 59. A method as described in claim 58, further including the step of placing the wireless power supply in series with one or more batteries of the device.
 60. A method as described in claim 58, further including the step of placing the wireless power supply in parallel with one or more batteries of the device.
 61. A method for providing energy to a cell phone comprising the steps of: powering the cell phone with a wireless power supply; and receiving energy wirelessly through an antenna connected to the wireless power supply.
 62. An apparatus, for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge storage component, comprising: means for supplying power which fits into the enclosure; and an antenna connected to the means for supplying power.
 63. A wireless power supply, comprising a connection for electrically connecting the wireless power supply to a device to be powered, wherein the wireless power supply is configured to receive energy wirelessly, and the wireless power supply looks like and has a configuration of at least one battery.
 64. A wireless power supply as described in claim 63, further including an antenna configured to receive wireless power.
 65. An apparatus for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge-storage component from energy received from a remote wireless power transmitter, comprising: a wireless power supply which fits into the enclosure; and an antenna connected to the wireless power supply and remote from the power transmitter.
 66. An apparatus as described in claim 65, wherein the device is at least a space of one inch from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter.
 67. An apparatus as described in claim 66, wherein the device is at least three inches from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter.
 68. An apparatus as described in claim 67, wherein the device is at least seven inches from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter.
 69. An apparatus as described in claim 68, wherein the device is at least twelve inches from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter.
 70. An apparatus as described in claim 69, wherein the device is at least twenty inches from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter.
 71. A method for wirelessly powering a device having an enclosure for a charge-storage component comprising the steps of: transmitting energy from a wireless power transmitter; and receiving the energy at a wireless power supply which fits into the enclosure through an antenna connected to the wireless power supply of the device when the device is remote from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter.
 72. A method as described in claim 71, wherein the receiving step includes the step of receiving the energy at the wireless power supply when the device is at least a space of one inch from the power transmitter when the wireless power supply is receiving power from the power transmitter. 